CHART RECOMENDATIONS FOR SCHOOL JAZZ …

1 CHART RECOMENDATIONS FOR SCHOOL jazz ENSEMBLES Don Zentz I have compiled the following list of jazz charts over the past 19 years as a recommendation resource for secondary SCHOOL band directors. The charts included in this selection guide are those that I have found favor with through personal activity and experience with as an adjudicator, rehearsal clinician, honor band director, player, and jazz educator participant at conference reading sessions. These screened charts have elements of merit that I believe are worthy of your pursuit musically and conducive to the educational process of developing young musicians. Those charts marked with a check are ones that I am exceptionally familiar with and have found to work very successfully for a variety of reasons. I highly recommend the checked charts. This list is certainly not all inclusive! The intent is to merely provide a resource guide.

2 Over 95% of this list is geared for the typical high SCHOOL (level 3 -5) or middle SCHOOL (level 2-3) jazz band situation. I hope this resource is of help to you!! (Last update: 3/2011) SWING A Bridge to Somewhere (3) (Blues/KendorKonvertible).. Jon Phelps Afternoon in Paris (3+)(MJQ tune done in superb light, tasty style) ..Arr. Mark Taylor A Good Ballad is Hard to Find (4+) (up-tempo) ..Doug Beach A Greater Power (4-)(Up-tempo swing/a cappella sax soli).. Greg Yasinitsky A Minor Case of the Blues ( ) (Medium minor extremely playable)..Bob Washut A Minor Excursion (4+) (Great, great shuffle CHART , some a cappella, minor attitude) ..Caffey A Tribute to Trane (3) (Medium tempo/some light textures/sax soli).. Mike Lewis Another Bump In The Road (3) (Minor shuffle).. Larry Neeck Any Dude'll Do (4+) (Shuffle) ..Bill Holman Autumn Leaves (2+) .. Arr. Blair Bag s Groove (2+).. Arr. Paul Murtha Barnburner (5)(up-tempo, rhythm changes, solo space).

3 Les Hooper Basie Straight Ahead (4+) (Classic Basie) .. Nestico Shuffle (3) .. Maria Schneider Bear Bones (4) (Trombone Section feature) .. Niehaus Beat the Clock (3) .. Beach Beauty and the Beast (5+) (Swinging like Basie of old!/Superb!).. Arr. Gordon Goodwin Belhaven Blues (3-).. Beach Bemsha Swing (3+)(small group within big band/alto & trumpet solo)..Monk/Arr. Taylor Big Cat Blues (3+) (This one swings!) .. Hanson Zentz jazz CHART List 2011 2 Big Dipper (5-) .. Thad Jones Big Swing Face (4+) (Classic Buddy Rich) .. Bill Potts Black Orpheus (3+)(Medium swing treatment on normally a latin tune).. Arr. Paul Murtha Blue-n-Moody (2-)(bluesy dorian mode swing tune for young bands) .. Sweeney Blue Basket (3) .. Harris Blue Bones (4-) (Medium swing that features trombone section/longtime staple). Dominic Spera Blue Monk (2+) .. Arr. Sweeney Blue Rain (2+) (Kendor Konvertible).

4 Chris Gordon Bluer Than Blue (5).. Don Sebesky Blues for Dr. Cranberry (3+) (Blues in G) .. Matteson/Petersen Blues for Three Brothers (3) (Sassy spirit/nice closing shout).. Armando Rivera Blues in the Closet (4+) (Great CHART featuring tenor & bone/nice shouts)..Arr. Mark Taylor Blues Machine (2).. Sweeney Blue Skies (4) ..Arr. Mark Taylor Blues in Hoss Flat (4) (Play @medium swing tempo, not tempo indicated) .. Taylor Blues With A View (3)(swing CHART on altered blues) .. Phelps Blue Train (2-)(intro to Trane/very playable, yet effective for the young) .. Arr. Paul Murtha Blue Train (4+) (strong ens. writing/challenging sax soli) .. Arr. Kris Berg Bone Appetit (4+) (Trombone section feature/medium-up tempo) ..Curnow Bonehead (4) .. Niehaus Boplicity (5)(adaption for jazz ens. from orig. Birth of the Cool) .. Davis/Evans/Arr. Tomaro Born to Bop (up-tempo) (3+) .. Gingery Brush Taps (4).

5 Bellson/Taylor Bubbert Kicks Back (2)(Relaxed swing and solid ensemble).. Mike Steinel Bunch of Blues (4+) .. Hooper But Not For Me (4+) ..Arr. Bob Mintzer Catch As Catch Can (4) .. Niehaus Cat Race (4+) (up-tempo/lots of alto space for soloing/exciting) ..Mashima C Jam Blues (3) .. Arr. Wolpe Chill Factor (4) (modern sound/sus - #11 chords/soprano/up tempo).. Yasinitsky City Dock (3+) (Medium swing/key shifts/drum kicks).. Ragsdale Cliff's Riff (4) .. Shelly Berg Consonata (4+) .. Dee Barton Cool (3+) (great stylistic jazz band version of Bernstein classic/colors!) ..Arr. Mark Taylor Count Bubba (6) (Great, great CHART !!/A capella space for sections / It roars!) ..Goodwin Count Bubba s Revenge (4-) (Easier spoof on original).. Ralph Ford Cozy Toes (2+) .. Lennie Niehaus Count Is In, The (5) ..Martin Cousin Mary (2+)(Nice CHART on Coltrane tune for young kids).. Arr. Murtha Crazeology (up-tempo) (4+).

6 Arr. Mike Tomaro Crescent City Stomp (5-).. Brubeck/Arr. Kris Berg Cut and Paste (4+) (Big hit when it first came out) ..Doug Beach Cutting Edge (4+) (Waves the flag!) ..Doug Beach Daahoud (4) .. Arr. Taylor Darn that Dream (3+) (You can do much musically w/ this CHART !) .. Arr. Mantooth Day By Day (4) (up-tempo/Nice sax soli/Room for tasty drumming) .. Arr. Taylor Deadly Schmedly (4) .. Beach Deep Freeze (4) .. Beach Dimensions in Blue (4+) .. Nestico Zentz jazz CHART List 2011 3 Division Street Blues (2) ..Ethan Freier Double Helix (up-tempo) (5-) .. Cooper Double Play (3+)(classic Strommen w/ this Basie type swinger) .. Carl Strommen Dynaflow (4) (Classic Kenton) .. Kenton/Pepper East Avenue Stroll (3) ..Sorenson Express Lane (up-tempo) (4-) .. Strommen Famous Don t Pay the Rent (Shuffle) (5-) ..LaBarbera Fat Cat (3) (12-17 pieces, popular w/ students) .. Beach 15 Minutes Late (5)(swinging minor blues with texture variance).

7 John Clayton Final Drive (2+) (minor groove) .. Beach & Shutack First Time Around (2-)(med. Swing/tutti sounding) .. Mike Lewis Flashback (3) .. Beach Follow That Line (4+) .. Hanson Food For Thought (4+) .. Niehaus Foo s Blues (3+) (This works! Bb Blues-you can easily open it up for solos) .. Barduhn Forty Second Street (2+) (Nice swinging CHART /Kids love it!).. Arr. Paul Cook Four (3+) .. Arr. Taylor Four (4+)(Packed with style opportunities/sax soli/up).. Arr. Tomaro For Once in My Life (4) .. Lieb Freddie Freeloader (4) .. Arr. Mantooth Gingerbread Boy (4)(Jimmy Heath classic done as a funky second line strut) .. Arr. Tomaro Give It Up (shuffle)(4) .. Strommen Got Rhythm? (5) (Great, up-tempo CHART !!!) .. Beach Groove Blues ( ) (Shuffle/easier version of Menza classic).. Arr. Peter Blair Groovin Hard (3) (Shuffle/easier verson of Menza classic/sax soli).. Arr. Peter Blair Groove Merchant (5+) (TJ-ML Shuffle/staple/need soprano lead).

8 Richardson/Thad Jones Grease's Blues (4) .. Bob Montgomery Green Onions (3) .. Arr. Wolpe Half Way There (2+) (12-17 pieces) .. Beach/Shutack Happy Thoughts (up-tempo)(4-) .. Bill Prince Hard Right (4-)(up tempo minor blues) .. Bert Zvacek Hayburner (4) (Classic Basie) .. Nestico Hot and Bothered (Kendor Konvertible)(3) .. Yasinitsky Hot Strip Shuffle (4+) .. Jarvis Hourglass (4+) .. Slater Impressions (4) (lots of solo space).. Mark Taylor In a Mellow Tone (4) .. Arr. Wolpe In A Mellow Tone (3+)( jazz Classics Series/medium swing/full ens. scoring).. Arr. Taylor In the Swing of Things (3) .. Rob Vuono Isfahan (4) .. Arr. Mantooth It Don t Mean a Thing (If It Ain t Got That Swing) (2+) .. Arr. Sweeney It s Alright With Me (4+)(Swingin CHART /Good ensemble writing).. Arr. George Stone Jeannine (4-) .. Arr. Robert Woods Jericho (3-) (some a cappella / Sing, Sing, Sing like).. Chris Sharp Jumpin' at the Woodside (3) (up-tempo, ensemble writing).

9 Nestico Just a Little of the Top (3+) (med/solidly scored/drum-horn interplay section) .. Chattaway Just Chattin (4)(Medium swing/nice ensemble writing and sax soli).. Lars Halle Killer Joe (4) .. Hooper Lamp is Low, The (3+) .. Ernie Wilkins Zentz jazz CHART List 2011 4 Late Arrival (4+) (Groove Merchant shuffle/stop time/sax soli).. Jeff Jarvis Lazy Bird ( )(Trane tune customized for young ones!) .. Arr. By Mike Story Limehouse Blues (4+) (up-tempo/nice musical displacements for interest) .. Arr. Berry Limited Edition Blues (4+) .. Mantooth/Martin Line Drive (up-tempo) (2-3) .. Jeff Taylor Little Minor Booze, A (5) (Classic Kenton) .. Willie Maiden Loop 360 (4+) (Shuffle - Minor groove - nice sax soli) .. Rick Lawn Lullaby of Birdland (4+) .. Arr. Niehaus Mack the Knife (4) (Done as a shuffle - tenor choruses) .. Arr. Taylor Manhattan (trpt. feature) (4) .. Arr. Mantooth Matchpoint (up-tempo) (5) (Alto solo space).

10 Don Schamber Message From Art (4) (Shuffle - Minor strut to it) ..LaBarbera Midnight Voyage (4-)(tenor feature on minor, medium swing groove) .. Arr. Alan Baylock Milestones (up-tempo) (4+) .. Barduhn Minor Bird (3+) (Kendor Konvertible) .. Matt Harris Minority Ruling (4) .. Al Homey Miss Fine (3) .. Oliver Nelson/Arr. Blair Mister Cool (2)(Easy swing tempo w/ good ensemble writing!).. Mike Steinel Moanin (4-) (well written CHART that works!) .. Arr. Taylor Moanin (2).. Arr. Sweeney Moten Swing (5) (The Basie classic) .. Arr. Ernie Wilkens The Murphy Strut (4) (This is extremely appealing!) .. David Caffey My Favorite Things (4) (Up-tempo - Db) .. Arr. Jennings Mr. ( )(Trane minor blues/playable by young ones) .. Arr. Terry White Night and Day (4) .. Berry No Business Blues (3+) .. Jarvis No Clam Zone (3+) (shuffle - Sax Soli) .. Yasinitsky Northwest Riff (3+) (West Coast med.)